Social Forms to Embody the Future: Think OutWord Session, February 6-8, 2009 By Luke Fischer From February 6-8, 2009, the conference “Social Forms to Embody the Future: Community Building in the Light of Social Threefolding” was hosted by Think OutWord at the Hawthorne Valley School in Harlemville, New York. It was an incredibly rich and enlivening weekend of community formation and discussion of the possibilities of community building in the wider world. The conference participants not only spoke about community; the conference itself exemplified dynamic community. To characterize the mood of the conference as a whole, two words come to mind: listening and improvisation. On Friday evening Robert Karp set a tone of listening in the way he suggested that we introduce ourselves to one another. As we went around the circle of 43 participants the art of listening was immediately practiced to the highest degree and thus a space was already made for deep thoughts and concerns to be shared. This intensive listening accompanied the whole conference. While many different points of view and subject matters were articulated, both in small groups and within the whole group, there was never an argumentative tone or disagreement. Rather the different thoughts that were shared served to complement and balance one another and thus form a more comprehensive picture. This listening was coupled with its partner, improvisation. As each participant was attuned to the present moment fitting words were found for that moment, just as a musician improvises a melody to fit a musical context. This work of improvising as a community was explored in an explicitly artistic way through the social sculpture facilitated by Laura Summer. On Saturday we painted four canvasses in four groups, drawing inspiration from a poem offered by Luke Fischer. On Sunday we used these canvasses in an improvised public performance outside the Farm Store. Laura mentioned a couple of times that a social sculpture neither begins nor ends; she was right and the weekend as a whole certainly exemplified this. Seth Jordan, who provided excellent moderation for the entire weekend, began Saturday morning by discussing the idea of society as an organism and the need for a creative orientation towards the future. Sarah Hearn spoke of the importance of collaboration rather than competition, drawing on Steiner’s lecture “Brotherhood and the Struggle for Existence.” Later that day, Peter Buckbee used a watercolor painting as an image for the organic relationship between individuals and a community - the different colors representing individuals in relationship, distinct yet moving through each other in the integrated wholeness of the community/painting. He also discussed the different types of individuals who can effect social change and the importance of de-centralized governance, which enables individuals to flourish and is more capable of transformation. The idea of an organic community was further developed when Franz Eilers pointed out in the discussion on Saturday evening, that there is always something intentional as well as something unintentional in the formation and growth of community. This was picking up on some of the ideas that Kristen Dalton had shared about the inspired history of the Hawthorne Valley community, and the fact that the founders could not have foreseen what the community has become. In the founding of any community there is always a greater intention than the conscious intention of the founders, an unconscious intention, just as an artist, faced with a blank canvas, does not know how the picture will look in the end. This calls for an openness and flexibility in the community, rather than a closed system with specified constraints. Some of these ideas were crystallized in Robert Karp’s discussion on Friday and in his public lecture on Saturday. He spoke of the threefold character of community building and the spiritual dimension of genuine community—to build community is to enable the participation of a spiritual being in our endeavors. He emphasized the importance of a mission that unites a community but also allows individual freedom and a breathing space for individuals to grow within the mission. He articulated the view that at the present time and in the coming years there is a unique opportunity for Anthroposophical communities to collaborate and associate with other communities that share common purposes. It is through such associations between communities (thus forming larger communities) that positive social change can take place in a Michaelic spirit. On Sunday morning, Rachel Berk discussed the original intentions of the founders of Camphill, which was not, as a lot of people think, only to provide a meaningful community for those with disabilities. Rather, the founders were primarily concerned with bringing about healthy social change, and the formation of meaningful community towards that end. Rachel is seeking to find ways of adapting Camphill to 21st century needs and possibilities. While there was much discussion of the need for new ideas and approaches within Anthroposophical communities, the importance of intergenerational dialogue was also stressed a number of times, the significance of learning from those with more experience and working with what they have achieved. Tad Montgomery spoke about the necessity of moving beyond “sustainable” development to “regenerative” development—development that is not only sustainable but serves to enhance vitality. He discussed his project for building a regenerative co-op in his community. On Saturday evening the Credere grants were awarded to individuals pursuing Anthroposophically inspired projects in the areas of social change and art. Meaghan Witri and Martin Hasse facilitated singing and games throughout the weekend, which were much enjoyed. Each day a Hopi verse was recited that ends with the powerful statement: “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
Community Building in the light of Social Threefolding
